Christmas in July is a real thing in the world of media! To ensure you’re not missing key opportunities with journalists, bloggers and influencers, you need to start getting your Christmas PR strategy in place during June and July so that your PR team is fully engaged, prepared and ready to go. Journalists, bloggers and influencers will already be looking online for gifts and interior products to feature in their Christmas related content, so be sure to get your images ready and uploaded as soon as possible.
Using an online PR tool such as Press Loft in conjunction with your offline PR initiatives will help ensure your brand is connected with the right people around the globe.
Here are our top tips to help you be PR ready for Christmas 2019:
- Research key Christmas trends predicted for 2019
The first thing you should do is research the latest interior and gift trends that are likely to be key come Christmas time. Carry out research into colour combinations, decoration styles, furnishing trends and keep these trends in mind when writing press releases and formulating keywords for your images. Natural hues and traditional greens, pastel colours and vintage Christmas ornaments are just a few of the trends looking to be popular for Christmas 2019.
- Good quality images
Review your imagery and make a portfolio of Christmas-related photos. Get new Christmas-related images taken, using influences and ideas from the key trends you found during your research. Think about what journalists, bloggers and influencers are likely to be looking for to bring value and creativity to their Christmas content.
- Use Christmas-focused keywords
You want your images to appear in as many Christmas interior and gift-related searches as possible so be sure to include keywords such as Christmas decor, Christmas gift, Xmas, festive items, gifts for him, gifts for her etc. Carry out research into which keywords have performed the best for your images in the past using a keyword tracker tool. If this information is not available to you then make sure you set up your Christmas 2019 PR campaign so that you can review keyword success going forward.
- Upload new images onto Press Loft and review existing images
Once your images are ready, upload them to Press Loft as soon as possible. Remember that journalists could already be looking for Christmas inspiration online as early as June. If you already have images on Press Loft, then carry out a thorough review ensuring keywords are relevant and up to date.
- Use Press Loft’s Christmas category
Press Loft’s Christmas category is the best place for images of Christmas decorations, Christmas inspired interior themes, festive gifts and items as it makes them easily found. Of course, you may be promoting general items that are not Christmas themed specifically (although make great Christmas gifts) and they should go into the regular gifts category to be found with the use of Christmas focused keywords.
- Write and send out your press release
Shout out about your Christmas products by sending a press release out on Press Loft. If you don’t have new products to promote this doesn’t mean you have to miss out on utilizing our press release service, journalists also love festive trend ideas, Christmas gift guide ideas, or even specific gifts category ideas like “Kids Gifts Under $30”.We are lucky to have a lovely warm Christmas here in Australia so releases about outdoor entertaining and decorating are a great idea here too.
- Pricing
When products are featured in magazines or in online content, the RRP will be shown. Journalists will favour products that have a price readily available and doesn’t require them to make additional enquiries. Press Loft offers the ability for journalists to search via price points so again, having each image labelled with the price is greatly beneficial.
- Send out sample products
In addition to your online PR efforts, it is a good idea to get your products into the hands of the journalists and influencers so that they can actually see, touch and try the item. For Christmas gift guides, in particular, sending out a sample can be a successful way to get a product featured. Be sure to research who the item should go to and make contact with that person beforehand if possible.
With 2019 Christmas PR already underway, make sure you’re getting ready to showcase your products. And if you’re new to Press Loft, you can take a free trial to ensure you get your Christmas PR successfully off the ground as soon as possible.
Header image from Lights4fun
